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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23874907">I Run To You (The Covid-19 Variation)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/twtd/pseuds/twtd'>twtd</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Worst Witch (TV 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bad Social Distancing, COVID-19, F/F, Remix</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:55:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23874907</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/twtd/pseuds/twtd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s 2020. The schools are all closed. Hecate calls Pippa for a quick chat, but things take a turn for the sentimental. Improper social distancing results.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hardbroom/Pentangle (Worst Witch)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Worst Witch Remix</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I Run To You (The Covid-19 Variation)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Podysseus394/gifts">Podysseus394</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23745346">Will You Excuse Me?</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Podysseus394/pseuds/Podysseus394">Podysseus394</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Podysseus, I really hope you enjoy what I did with your fic! </p>
<p>I ended up going through a couple different drafts and scenarios before I settled on this one. I have no idea why I decided to make it into an AU, but there you go.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three days had passed since the Spelling Bee (Mildred had won spelling the word ‘parsimonious’), the last event to still take place before everything got canceled and the schools got closed. Pippa didn’t love teaching online. She thought her students learned best when they could see each other and interact with each other without the distractions that came with being at home, but there was nothing to be done for it. Their safety was paramount, so Pentangle’s had closed, and they’d sent all of the children and staff home. Only she remained in the empty school. To tell the truth, it was rather lonely. </p>
<p>She jumped when her phone rang, the video call function lighting up the screen and Hecate’s name appearing on the caller ID. She had no idea why Hecate might be calling but she answered it as quickly as she could anyway. </p>
<p>Hecate’s face came into focus in front of her, the other woman looking just as startled as Pippa felt. Still, it was so good to see Hecate. Something about seeing her made Pippa’s stomach flip. </p>
<p>Hecate was sitting somewhere in her bedroom, hair down around her shoulders, and the scene was so intimate it took Pippa’s breath. She looked wonderful. Pippa knew she was smiling too widely for the situation, but she couldn’t stop herself. </p>
<p>“Hello Hiccup, what a lovely surprise! And don’t you look lovely!” She beamed as she moved around and sat on her bed, back propped against the headboard. </p>
<p>“Good evening, Pippa. I can call back another time if you’re busy?” Hecate stuttered a little, like she was nervous. Pippa couldn’t think why Hecate might be nervous talking to her.  </p>
<p>“Nonsense, I’m delighted to see you! How is everything at Cackle’s now that you’ve moved everything online? And how is my favorite witch?” She winked and Hecate’s camera jolted in her hand, but soon steadied out again. </p>
<p>“Cackle’s is much quieter now that you’ve left. Quieter still since the students have gone.” Hecate sighed. “And I don’t know who you could possibly be referring to.”</p>
<p>“You, of course, silly!” Pippa teased her. She really couldn’t help it. Hecate had always gotten a bit flustered whenever Pippa had done it in the past. Now that she was thinking of the past, she thought of something else. “You know, I don’t remember the last time I saw you with your hair down, Hiccup.” </p>
<p>“I do,” Hecate nearly whispered. Pippa tilted her head, curious now. Curious that Hecate would remember something that she could not. She thought she had every moment of their childhood together held safe in her brain, but this memory eluded her. She wordlessly encouraged Hecate to continue. </p>
<p>“We were in our fifth year, three days before the tennis tournament.” Pippa remembered the tennis tournament. How could she forget? She and Hecate had been meant to play doubles together, only Hecate had never shown up. She’d played with one of the other girls instead, but they hadn’t had the same chemistry. They’d lost in the second round. </p>
<p>“We had just come back from the showers, and we were sitting in your room. You insisted that you brush my hair, because you couldn’t possibly understand how I managed it all by myself, even though I clearly could.”</p>
<p>Pippa remembered now. She had always loved Hecate’s long, black hair, had loved running her fingers through it. She’d taken any excuse to touch it. She started smiling again. She shifted where she could rest her chin on her hand. </p>
<p>“Somehow you managed to convince me to let you plait it with ribbons, but you conveniently forgot to tell me that they were bright fuchsia.” Hecate smirked. Pippa couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Yes, she remembered now. She remembered the little prank she’d played. She had been amazed that she’d gotten away with it. She still had those ribbons, had hung onto them for all of the intervening years just as she’d held onto hope that she and Hecate might be reconciled some day. She got up and pulled them out of a drawer. “I spent the whole afternoon of classes wondering why everyone was staring at me, but I didn’t realize until I took them out that night.”</p>
<p>Pippa sighed happily. “Yes, I do remember now, it feels like forever ago! But I had six ribbons, and I only have five now.” She wondered when she had lost the sixth. </p>
<p>“Will you excuse me for one moment please, Pippa?” Hecate asked tightly. She put the phone down, leaving Pippa to stare up at the ceiling. </p>
<p>A moment later, Hecate returned and Pippa could see the edge of a box at the bottom of the frame. </p>
<p>“What’s in the box, Hiccup?” she asked softly. It could only be one thing. </p>
<p>Hecate slowly opened it and gently picked a fuchsia ribbon. It completed Pippa’s set. She held it carefully. As if it was precious to her and she didn’t want anything to happen to it. </p>
<p>Pippa gasped, trembled as she covered her mouth with her free hand. </p>
<p>“You kept it, after all this time?” Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t stop them. She couldn’t believe Hecate had kept the single ribbon, that it had meant as much to Hecate as it had to her.</p>
<p>Hecate looked unaffected by her revelation, but Pippa knew that inside, she had to be just as riddled with emotion as she was. There was only one thing for Pippa to do. </p>
<p>“Will you excuse me please, Hecate?” Pippa echoed Hecate’s words. Hecate nodded and Pippa hung up. She quickly pulled on her shoes, grabbed a light wrap and her keys, and was in her car within seconds. The streets were empty. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be going out, but she couldn’t stop herself. She needed to see Hecate now. She needed to tell her. </p>
<p>Finally, finally, she pulled into the parking lot at Cackle’s. She ran through the corridors until she was outside Hecate’s room. She knocked on the door. </p>
<p>The door opened slowly and finally Hecate came into sight. She threw herself at Hecate as soon as she saw her. Hecate stood stock still in Pippa’s arms, but she didn’t care. She needed to show Hecate how much she had missed her. </p>
<p>“I missed you so much, Hiccup,” Pippa said into Hecate’s shoulder. She felt Hecate inhale sharply. </p>
<p>“I missed you too, Pipsqueak.” She felt Hecate’s arms come up around her and she nearly wanted to start crying. She didn’t though. She just held onto Hecate tighter, pressed her face into Hecate’s shoulder harder. She didn’t know how much time they spent there, but she never wanted to let go. </p>
<p>Hecate swallowed. “I don’t think this is an appropriate social distance, Hiccup.” She didn’t let go though. </p>
<p>Pippa chuckled. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”</p>
<p>“I suppose it’s alright. Since you’re here, why don’t you come in. I’ll make some tea and we can have a game of chess. I haven’t seen another person in over a week. I never thought I would miss seeing people quite so much, but I do. It’s good to see you.”</p>
<p>“It’s good to see you too, Hiccup. It’s good to see you too.”</p>
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